Keyblade: Crossroads
by Glennt123
Summary: Before the Keyblade War, there were those that studied the blade to learn it's secrets. When the path's of those most influenced by by the keyblade cross, everything begins to change. Darkness begins to grow in the world, but where does it come from? Who can be trusted, and who will betray everyone? This is a story of friendship, betrayal, failure, and growth.
1. Prologue

**Keyblade: Crossroads**

 **Long ago, before the keyblade war, there existed a group of people who wielded weapons known as the swords of light and truth.**

 **The swords could reveal the truth of the world around them and lead the wielder to their destiny. Many tried to unravel the truth of the swords, but all they could learn was that there was something that allowed one person to summon it instead of another. On several worlds, temples were built, and in these temples were the disciples and masters, whose life goal was to learn the secrets of the mysterious sword...**

 _ **Prologue**_

 **The Master**

" **So, we've decided to meet like this now, huh?" Said an old man. The man was tall and lanky, with a slight hunch. His cloaked covered the majority of his face, but a long beard falls from the opening showing his age. He walks over to a fruit stand a picks up an apple. Watching him is a woman in a battle outfit. Her hair is short and golden in appearance with a decorative pin in one side.**

" **B-b-but, You said you wanted food, Master" the lady responds anxiously.**

" **Yes, I did, but I wanted you to bring it to me. I'm an old man now, I can't be walking around a market picking up my own food." The old man gestures to an odd looking fruit. "Oooo...What is that one?"**

 **The man behind the counter picks up the piece. It's a green fruit that is shaped like a teardrop.**

" **You have a good eye, sir! This is the famed Gringila fruit! It's said that if you eat this, you are more likely to be favored by the sword of light and truth. I already have many satisfied customers. What I have here is actually all that I have in stock!"**

" **Hmmmm... interesting..." the old man grumbled in a low voice. "And how many of these would I have to eat to summon said sword?"**

 **The fruit-seller looked at the old man and judged, "It depends on the person... but for you, it may be more than what we have, sir."**

" **He-he-he!" The old man laughed, "Well, I guess that I'm out of luck then!" The old man and the younger woman walked away from the stand. While they walked the salesman tried to persuade the woman to buy a piece, but was promptly ignored.**

" **I guess he didn't know who you were." She said to the old man as they walked through the market. It was not very crowded today, so they could easily look at all of the stands.**

" **May this be another lesson for you Marina, never judge a book by its cover," he picked up another Gringila fruit from a different stand, "...or a fruit by it's salesman." The old man laughed, paid for a fruit for each of them and found a bench to sit down on.**

 **After a few bites into the fruit, the old man looked down and lowered his voice, "I called you here today to discuss important business. I've seen something."**

 **Seeing the stern look on his face, Marina knew this was serious. The old Master was jovial most of the time, but he's still seen his share of hardships, he always seems to know when something big is about to happen. "What is it? What did you see?"**

 **He clenched his hands around the fruit. "Something big. Something new. Something dark. Through years of study, there has always been one constant with the blades of truth and light. They have been swords of LIGHT. "**

 **Marina was confused and startled, "what are you saying? Of course they are light. That's what they are. They unlock the truth around us. How can there be darkness in truth."**

 **The old man ate his fruit down to the rind and placed it on the ground. "The truth can be many things, but I don't think that's what was happening. I think someone is going to unlock something else. Their are older mysteries in this world than the swords. And there are far more locks than there are keys. Usually it's not a concern, but with the growing population of wielders, it's only a matter of time before someone does something foolish."**

 **Marina finished her fruit and placed her rind on the ground next to his. "What exactly did you see?"**

 **He looked straight ahead and then closed his eyes trying to visualize what he saw. "There was a mountain and three people at the bottom of it. In front of them was a sword of light stuck in the ground that was old and chipped. On top of the mountain was a fourth person. They were pointing a blade at the three, but it was different. It was a sword of light and truth, but it had this aura coming off of it. I could not only see it, but I could feel it. It was a heavy feeling. When they lifted up the blade, darkness surrounded everything, and these creatures slowly enveloped the entire landscape. They closed in on the three, but they were eventually swallowed by the darkness and its monsters."**

 **She listened intently and paused to reflect after he was done. "What does this mean? For one, the sword of light and truth can't be chipped, when it's broken, it's dissolved and recreated new when summoned again. Also, no blade has ever had any aura to it except when unlocking something, let alone a dark one. And those monsters...**

 **This is troublesome. Have you told anyone else?"**

 **He stood up and brushed himself off. After struggling to pick up his refuse, Marina picked up both and disposed of them. "No, I have not, nor do I want you to. I don't want us to be the ones to have a part in creating this future. I am simply telling you because of the new recruits due in next week. "**

 **She looked at him with confusion, "the new recruits? But what could they have to do with this? They're just children starting out on their path of knowledge. Half of them can't even summon a sword yet."**

 **He started to walk away, and then stopped a couple of paces from her. "I left that part out. All four of the people in my vision were young... and two of them wore our insignia..."**


	2. Chapter 1: The Failure

**The Failure**

Long ago, everything was so small. All the worlds kept to themselves because they did not know about the others. One day, someone found a keyhole and unlocked the path to another world. There was so much to learn in this new place, that both cultures grew exponentially. It did not take long before another world was discovered, and then another. After a time, a group was formed of the extraordinary individuals chosen by the swords of light and truth. This group was known as the Keie's. They determined that there should be minimal interference in each world. This group set out and found world's that were inhabited, but habitable. They used these worlds to form the temples dedicated to studying the mysteries of the blade that reveals the truth.

The story begins with Lucious on his way to one of these temples to become a student.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! There was a loud knock on the cabin door. "GET UP! WE'RE ALMOST THERE, YA FREELOADER!"

 _Ugghhhh, why did I agree to this?_

"I'M NOT A FREELOADER!" Lucious yells back to the door.

 _No response. He must have left. I can't believe the nerve of that guy. I do all the chores that they asked me to do in exchange for passage, and he still calls me a freeloader._

The young man rolls out of the bed and dresses in his usual outfit. He's wearing a black t-shirt, with cargo pants that have oversized pockets to store all of his belongings in.

 _Oh yeah, no mirrors on a ship. Why do I forget that every day? I guess I won't be brushing my hair AGAIN today! I'll have to find somewhere with a mirror before I actually go to the temple._

After blindly mussing with his messy black hair, Lucious opens the door to the cabin and makes his way up to the deck. He avoids as many people as possible, because they all give him that look. It's a look that says "Why are you even bothering." His business was his own and he did not want other people involved in it. After coming to the deck, he stares out at the water.

 _It's always beautiful. I wonder how far it actually goes._

Before he can truly appreciate the splendor around him, a hand grabs his shoulder.

"Why are you here, freeloader? Shouldn't you be mopping, or cleaning something?" A salty-smelling man who was missing more than a few teeth turned him around so fast that he almost fell down.

"I've done all my chores!" He responded with an aggressive tone back at him.

"That's not possible. Did you sweep all the rooms? Did you help the cook with meal preparation? There's always something to be done, boy. Don't go lazy on me." Saiwes was a large brute of a man, and always smelled like a sailor, even when he's been on land for a while. He was the first mate of the ship known as the Verald, a ship famous for its voyages between the different worlds. Lucious had managed to talk one of the crewmembers into tagging along on this voyage to one of the temples, so that he could become a disciple there. When Saiwes found out about this, he immediately disapproved, but on the behest of the captain, let Lucious stay. He did not make it easy for Lucious, however. He gave the boy the work of three crewmembers every day to make sure he paid for his passage. What he did not realize was how efficient the boy was at doing manual labor.

"I did all of it! This entire ship is cleaned, and there are enough provisions prepared to last ten more trips! So, if you don't mind, I would like to appreciate the view in the final hours before coming ashore."

The boy stared down the sea bear, and he stared back. Neither of them gave in for what seemed like hours, although it was only a few seconds.

"Alright, I will admit that you've done a good job. There's still more to do, mind ya, but I can't have my crew getting lazy, and you like to take their work from them. Just stay out of the way, and if anyone asks, just say I banned you from working because you have done such a bad job. That'll make them clench a little!" Saiwes laughed, and they both nodded at each other before the large seaman left him alone.

 _Was this really a good idea coming here? I mean, I can't turn back now, or can I? No point in worrying about it. I'm 16 years old and that's more than old enough to apply for a discipleship. I hope they accept me…._

He looked out at the water for hours thinking about his past and his future. It felt like minutes to him as he stared, so he was surprised when he heard the call saying that they were at port. He ran down to his cabin and grabbed his things, which he had packed the night before in anticipation. He stayed on the edge of the ship, waiting for the dock to get close enough.

"You might want to back away for a moment." One of the crewmembers said, "We're going to be tying up here shortly."

Lucious looked at the crewmember, and for the first time since he left, smiled a large grin. "Oh, don't worry about me. I'll be gone long before then."

The crewmember looked at him puzzled, and looked at the approaching dock. It was still a fair distance away. The distance had to be at least three to four times the length of the ship. It would have only taken a few more minutes before they were docked, but Lucious could not hold it in anymore. In a brief moment, he covered the length of the ship and was on the side farthest from the port.

"THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THE RIDE!" He shouted, "WATCH OUT FOR THAT SALTY SEA BEAR OF A FIRST MATE!"

In a flash, he began to run at full speed, with his bag on his back, and crewmates diving out of his way. In one step he jumped onto the railing and in the next, he leaped off and went flying through the air. For a moment, all of the crew on the deck watched him with awe, but that was cut short, when he fell into the water about two thirds of the way to the port. That was Lucious' life. He was always about eighty-five percent impressive. He would excel at whatever he tried, but still managed to fall short of being extraordinary each time. By the time he swam to the pier and climbed out of the water, the ship pulled up and was already being tied off. Lucious sprinted away as soon as his feet hit the ground, to avoid further embarrassment. After looking around, it was evident that the incredibly large castle structure in the distance must have been the temple, so he headed in that direction. After walking for hours, he finally managed to make it there and after a couple of slick maneuvers, he even made it inside without being detected.

After scoping out the layout for a spell, he finally found a good spot to eat some provisions before going exploring again to find someone in charge. He rummages through his backpack, and pulls out a Gringila fruit.

 _At least it's okay for this to get wet. Good thing I didn't pack a sandwich or something that could get soggy._

He began to eat his fruit, when an old man in a cloak spotted him.

"You there, boy, what are you doing here? You are not a disciple here." The old man pointed at him, and Lucious tried to swallow his mouthful of fruit instead of spitting it. After a struggle to keep from choking, he finally managed to keep the food down, and with all the respect that he could muster; he stood up and bowed to the old man.

"I'm sorry for intruding, sir. I'm looking for a master to train me. I wish to be a disciple!" The old man walked over to the child and stared at him with judging eyes.

"Why do you think that you are worthy to be a disciple? Did you fill out an application? Did you go through the proper protocol? Do you already have a master in mind? Have you had your guardians sign you over to us?" Looking closer at the old man, Lucious could tell that even though he seemed feeble, there was a powerful spirit coming off him. His eyes were the color of the ocean, yet full of a burning fire that he had not seen before. He was wrinkly, lanky, and had a hunched back. The only hair he had seemed to be on his chin. The wisps on his chin were long, all the way down to his navel. By all accounts, this was an old man, but just looking into his eyes, Lucious knew that this was someone that he should respect with every fiber of his being.

"To answer your questions, wise sir, I did not fill out an application, I am unaware of the proper protocol, I have not come prepared, and you don't have to worry about guardians to sign me over. Also, I know that I am not worthy, but I hope that through your tutelage, you can make me as worthy as someone like me can become!" Lucious did not want to go into his past, but he meant every word that he said. With everything he had, he wanted to become a disciple.

The old man looked him up and down closer this time. He even walked around Lucious once to inspect all that the young man had to offer.

"So, you're unprepared. But you do seem to have a fighting spirit. You're in luck. I happen to be one of the few people here with the power to admit you in here without going through all of the hubbub that you would normally have to endure. What do you say to a test? If you can pass it, I'll assign you to master and you can start your discipleship tomorrow morning."

When the old man finished his proposal, Lucious felt goosebumps all over his body. His eyes even started to water.

 _Hold it together. We've come this far. Whatever test they have, I'll pass it. I have strength, endurance; I even have that one spell I can do. Whatever he wants, I have to do it. I have to pass._

"Yes, sir! Whatever you want! I have trained hard for this day!"

The old man waved a hand in the air, signaling his dismissal for all of the formality the boy keeps displaying.

"Very well, Let's start with a test of strength."

 _Lucky! Lucky! Lucky! All that manual labor that I've been doing! All of that training! I have this in the bag! I'm probably stronger than most of the disciples here!_

"Now summon your sword of light and truth, and then we'll see how strong you really are."

Lucious' heart briefly went into his throat, and then went down into his stomach.

"Excuse me, sir, don't you want me to show you how strong I am? Why do I need to summon a keyblade to prove that?"

The old man's eyes narrowed.

"I don't like when you children use disrespectful names. The sword of light and truth is more than just a blade with the shaped of a key; it is a mystery that unlocks the truth of entire worlds. You can give it the respect it deserves."

Lucious turned red and bowed to the old man again.

"I'm very sorry, sir! That's just what we called it where I'm from! I will use its proper name from now on!"

He didn't want the moment to end. His head was bowed, and he was embarrassed, but that was nothing compared to what he knew was about to come. He prayed that he could just stay prostrated as long as he could, and hoped that a miracle would happen. No miracle happened today though. Lucious was always eighty five percent impressive, but when the results were either one way or the other, they were always the latter for Lucious.

"Well, are you going to take the test or not?"

He tried for so long, but he couldn't hold it back anymore. Prostrated in front of this old man, with his eyes closed, the clouds behind his eyes finally came to a head, and before he could do anything to stop it, he was weeping. This is the moment he knew was coming. The moment he prayed would not come.

"I'm so-o-orry. I can't do that for yo-o-ou. I can do anything else. I can run laps, I can do chores, and lift as much weight as you can throw at me, but I can't do that."

The old man's expression changed from judgement, to confusion, then to realization, and finally it landed on pity.

"I'm sorry, but there is not much we can do for you here, young man. What can we do with a disciple who can't even summon the blade we are studying? I'm afraid you'll have to go back home."


	3. Chapter 2: The Mage

**The Mage**

Greatness is something that is earned through hard work and a lot of effort, but sometimes it is forced on those who do not fully understand what it means. To be chosen is not always a blessing or a gift, and it is rarely asked for. When somebody becomes truly important in the grand scheme of things, it is due to the need to become more and not just the desire. In a small village, at the edge of nowhere, a gifted girl, Xi, is about to start her path on becoming something more.

"You! Girl! Stop right there!" a woman screamed in the market place towards the young girl with pitch black hair.

 _Please don't be talking to me…._

Xi kept walking, but at a faster pace, trying to avoid a confrontation. It was not long before she was stopped by a strong hand on her shoulder and spun around. She looked up at the robust woman, and then immediately looked to the side.

"Y-yes, can I help you?" Xi sputtered out while trying to subtly pull away.

Angrily, the woman grabbed her by the wrist and began to pull her back in the direction that she came from. "You stole a loaf of my bread, thief! I want you to tell the sheriff what you did, so I can be rid of ya."

When the young girl heard this, she began to struggle more. "I didn't steal anything! You've got the wrong girl!" The lady's grip tightened the more Xi struggled. She even fell to the ground and tried pulling herself away, but the lady overpowered her with every step she took. They kept walking until they came to the sheriff patrolling the market.

"Calm down, there. What seems to be the problem? You are stirring up quite the scene." The officer commented when they approached him. When Xi and the lady look around, they both turn a little red. There is a crowd of people staring at them and the market is suspiciously quiet.

 _This is bad…I think this might be the end for me._

As Xi tries not to look around at the people's faces, she sees a familiar shadow in the distance.

 _Well, saved just in time, I guess._

She tries not to smile as she begins to be very dramatic. She falls to her knees and looks at the officer with tears in her eyes. "I'm sooooo sorry officer, *sniff*, I just was so hungry. I had to do it."

"Do what?" He responds confused.

"This little wench stole a loaf of bread from my stand! We work hard for what we have, and I won't let some little street rat steal from us!" The lady ranted while waving the arm of Xi that she still held.

"And how much was this loaf of bread worth, per se?"

"Well, it wasn't too fresh, so maybe 75 munny."

 _75 munny? Geez lady, maybe I shouldn't have stolen something so low quality. I guess I should steal the fresh stuff next time. Oh well, these two are about to get what's coming to them._

The figure in the shadows moves behind the crowd unnoticed and places something underneath an empty cart.

"75, huh? How about 100 and we forget this happened?" the officer begins to pull out his wallet.

"Wait, What?!" the two women say in unison.

"She did say she was sorry, so I feel that this is the best way to uphold the peace. Besides, it's not like any real harm was done." He smiled as he handed the lady the munny.

 _Wow, a real nice person… It's been so long since anyone's done something like that for me._

Xi stood there and tried to hold back the tears that were just behind her eyes. When she wiped her eyes to keep from crying she noticed the figure wasn't by the cart anymore. She scanned around, but couldn't find him.

 _This is bad. I didn't think this would be resolved so easy. It's too late. No! I can find them! I can stop this!_

"Sir, I appreciate your help, but there is something urgent that you must attend to!" Xi pulled away from the lady and quickly grabbed the officer and started to pull him towards the cart. "I saw someone put something over here and…" A small object came out of the crowd and tackled both of them to the ground. The shadow then grabbed Xi by the hand and began to pull her. She started to run with it, but then stopped and looked at the officer.

"What's going on?" he looked at her confoundedly.

"I'm sorry…" she said, before turning away and running again.

BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM

A loud explosion rings the ears of everyone around, followed by the crashing of a cart into the ground. When sound became more than just a loud pitch, it took the form of a frenzied crowd, screaming in anger and fear.

Xi and the figure kept running, but were eventually tackled by the same man who tried to help her before. "I wanted to believe that there was more to you, but I guess you are just a trouble-maker. I'm going to have to take you and your little accomplice in." She struggled to get away, but only managed to turn enough to see the hurt and betrayal in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that either." She turned enough to point her hand towards him, "GRAVIRA!" When she casted, her hand glowed and the officer was lifted up and into the air. He floated there, while she got up, brushed herself off, grabbed the little shadow's hand, and looked at him again.

 _I feel bad, but I can't let them take me or anyone of us._

They began to run away again. This time, they managed to escape into the crowd and away from the busy market. After running for a while, they stop in an alley, and slide under a hole in a wall.

"I don't think anyone saw us." The shadow said as he pulled back hood over his face. Under it was a young boy covered in dirt. He was about half the size of Xi, and had a big smile. He had some teeth missing, but they were just baby teeth so she wasn't worried about it. She bent down to him, licked her finger, and then wiped his face. When that didn't work, she used the bottom of her shirt and smothered him until she was satisfied that he was cleaner.

"I don't think so either. I'm guessing Ram and Tam are probably almost here too." As she said that, two other shadows, not much bigger than the first squeezed under the hole.

"I didn't think You and Tumble would beat us here." Ram said as she pulled off her hood.

"Yeah, it looked like you were held up." Tam pointed out as he took his shoes off.

They were in an old building that was falling apart. It was two stories, but the second floor came down and blocked the entrance, so the only way in was a hold in the wall. Whenever they were there, they put a piece of wood to cover the hole, so that it wouldn't be conspicuous. The ceiling caved in at some point too, so there was a breeze and an open view of the sky. It was great to sleep under most nights, but when the weather was bad, they all had to cuddle up in the few areas without an opening above. Ram, Tam, Tumble, and Xi all lived here together and did what they could to take care of each other. Ram and Tam were twins, so they looked very alike, but when Tam was not looking, Ram would try to make herself look a little more girly, and even liked to do things like show off her belly button. Tam did not like this, but usually kept it to himself. It was good to have another girl around, and Xi appreciated these moments. Tam was the most serious of the bunch, but was still younger than Xi, who was the oldest of everyone. He always talks about tomorrow and how to get their next meal. Tumble was a small boy who they picked up a couple months ago. There was a tragedy with his family, and he was abandoned with nowhere to go, so they took him in. He tries to be strong, and never cries. He understands that he is part of a different kind of family now, and tries to get along with everyone, but he likes Xi the most. She is like the mother figure, not just to him, but to everyone. She is taller than all of them and more developed. Almost nineteen years of age, and practically an adult. With short black hair and raggedy shirt and skirt, she almost looks like she could be their mother.

"We were, but we got away." Xi stated as she pulled the bread out of her bag. "The loaf was flattened when he tackled me." She frowned as she began to break it into pieces. "At least the mine bomb trick worked." She handed the pieces first to Tumble, then to Ram, and last to Tam. He took the bread, and looked at her intensely.

"Yeah. I thought we would get more than one loaf though, with that much of a distraction." He bit into the bread and kept staring at her.

"well, it's a good thing I went to work, while you guys were fooling around." Ram opened her bag, and inside was a stash of spikey looking fruit. Xi looked into the bag smiling, and then disappointment swept across her face.

"Is that krushia fruit? It's so sour…. You know I don't like sour."

"Listen," Tam stands up and walks over to Ram, and grabs a fruit out. "We do what we can. She even got one for each of us, so apologize." Tam bites into the fruit, and does everything he can to keep his face straight. His eye twitches and a small tear rolls down his cheek before he turns and walks away to sit back down.

"It's okay Xi, you don't have to apologize. I grabbed what I could, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, you did a good job, and we all appreciate you." Xi grabs one of the fruit from the bag and takes a small bite. Her throat tightens and her eyes water. "It's not that bad…." She tries to swallow it down, but it's difficult.

 _It's so sour… But she did do a good job, so we have to take what we get. I know Tumble's not gonna like it though. Ughhh! I NEED WATER!_

She begins to walk over to the bags in the corner and takes out a canteen and drinks from it. Tumble walks over to Ram and reaches into the bag and grabs a fruit.

"I thought that you said there was one for each of us." The young child states while looking into the bag.

"There should be!" Ram picks up the bag and looks into it.

"But there's two left and you are the last one, Ram. So that means there's an extra!" Tumble smiles and shows his missing teeth to Ram. She smiles back at him and opens her mouth, but before she speaks, she is interrupted.

"That one must be mine, then." A deep voice says from above.

The four look up simultaneously. Tam gets into a fighting stance, while Ram grabs Tumble and holds him. Xi holds her arms up and her hands begin to glow.

"Who's there? Speak or we'll hurt you" Xi commands to the presence.

A shadow falls down between them and reforms up to the shape of a grown man.

"Oh, I'd like to see that." His hand raises and points his palm towards xi. "AERO." A large gust of wind blasts out from his hand towards her.

"AERO!" Her hands glow as she uses the wind pressure to negate the surge coming towards her.

"Leave here now, or I'll seriously hurt you!" She screams at him.

"I want to see what you can do first, though." He calmly replies. "SLEEP!" a calm aura surrounds him as Ram, Tam, and Tumble are all knocked out.

"NO! Don't hurt them!" She aims her hands at her family. "ESUNA!" They all wake up, dazed for a moment before Xi yells at them, "Run now! I can take care of myself! I'll hold him back! Get Tumble out of here and look out for each other!" They look at the figure who is looking back at them, they can't make out his face, but know that he should not be messed with. Ram and Tam look at Xi and nod.

"You be safe too. Come find us at the other place."

Xi does not acknowledge Tam, but he knows that she heard him.

"Where are we going? We can't leave her…" Tumble sleepily mumbled as they carried him away. "Please, we have to save her. We have to save mama." Ram held back the tears as they ran. She covered him, and after they slide through the hole, they kept running until they could not be heard anymore.

"Thank you for letting them escape." Xi confronted the man. She still had her hands up and they were glowing even brighter than before.

"Well, I really just wanted you anyways. How about we take this outside? Wouldn't want to ruin this 'nice' home."

"Fine, then catch me if you can!" she aimed her hands to the ground and braced herself. "AERORA!" A strong gust of wind shot out from her hands, and launched her into the air. She propelled herself towards the nearest opening. When she landed, she looked around and before any kind of relief set in, the figure landed across from her.

 _Of course he followed me… Well, as long as the others are safe. I can take this guy. He doesn't know what he's in for._

"WOW! I can't believe you can use second tier spells! Let me see what else you can do!" He raises his hand into the air. "Now, what if I do this? FIRE!" As his hand comes down a fire ball shoots toward Xi at amazing speed.

 _Gotta cancel it_

"WATER!" Her hands move from her sides and come together and large splash of water puts out the fireball headed to her.

When the steam clears, she sees the figure dancing around with excitement. He then stops and looks at her again, trying to be serious.

"Okay, one more, this one's gonna be hard." He puts his hand to the sky again. "THUNDARA!" A spark comes off his hand and disappears.

 _OH NO! I've got no time, it's about to come down! Protect or dispel? Protect or dispel?_

A black cloud rapidly forms above her head and small jolts of electricity surge through it as it grows.

 _Protect or dispel….wait…._

"WARP!" Her hands glow brightly as they come down around her. The lightning crashes to the ground and leaves a smoldering crater in its wake.

"Wait, what did she use?" the figure scratched his head feeling confounded.

"And GRAVIRA!" A black field surrounds the figure as he's lifted up helplessly into the air. He floats there for a moment before he claps and laughs.

"Very good! That was such a good show! I'm very excited right now!"

"What are you talking about? Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm very sorry, but I knew that you wouldn't give me the time of day otherwise." The figure pulls off his hood to reveal his face. It's a middle-aged man. He has brown hair, and is skinny in the face. He is still clapping and has a huge smile across his face. "I saw you use Gravira in the market after that explosion earlier and had to follow you. I assume the explosion was you too, yes? How'd you do it?"

"It was a spell I made. It's like a motion mine. When something hits it, it explodes. I just came up with it one day… Who are you? Why are you asking this?"

 _Who is this guy? Why is he interested in me? Why is he so happy? He attacked me, right?_

"I'm sorry again, my name is Magnus, and I am a professor for a school for sorcery. I was in town and saw the commotion and you just caught my eye."

"So what if I caught your eye, you didn't have to follow me. You could have just left me alone."

"I could have, yes, and I was going to, really. I was just curious what kind of family you came from and was going to talk to your parents about you, but then I found out about your living situation. I thought about it for a minute, and made a decision that would benefit everyone greatly." Still floating, he wiggled and rotated towards her direction with a big smile on his face.

"Yeah, and what would that be? Because I'm not gonna be a part of it." She stated bluntly while still holding her hands toward him. The glow from her hands is less intense than before, but still noticeable.

"What if I said you could give those three a home?" Still smiling, his eyes narrowed on her.

 _A home? Like a real home? What is he saying? Can he do that? Would he do that? There has to be some sort catch to it._

"Oh yeah, and what would I have to do?"

The man slowly floated towards the ground as the spell wore off. He gracefully landed on his feet and dusted himself off. He still smiled the big goofy grin as he held his hand out.

"I want you to enroll at our school. Do that and I will personally see to the well-being of those children, and you will become so much more than what you are right now."


End file.
